Island and Ocean

India has been perceived in the form of island. No my knowledge of geography is not very good, but even I know it is a peninsula geographically speaking. But I was talking about in terms of similies and metaphors. India: Small islands of excellence surrounded by vast ocean of mediocrityIndia: Small Islands of efficiency surrounded by vast ocean of incompetenceIndia: Small Islands of wealth surrounded by vast ocean of povertyIndia: Small islands of education surrounded by large ocean of ignoranceIndia: Smal islands of demcracy surrounded by large ocean of oppressionIndia: Small Islands of meritocracy surrounded by large ocean of nepotismIndia: Small islands of transparency surrounded by large ocean of corruptionExamples can be multiplied ad infinitum. the latest examples is:India: small islands of SEZs surrounded by a large ocean of License Permit RajWhy cant we think of chaning the equation once for all and declare the whole country into an SEZ and keep small islands as areas of License Permit Raj? Will that not be agood ided, if you believe SEZs are such as good idea extend it to the whole country, why play for small change. It's like sex, you want it and you like it go the whole hog or dont start it:)

ShiPM and Singur

For two generations my family from my father's side have been staunch supporters of CPI and then CPM. CPI split when my father was a young man and he decided to be with the "M" half of it while my uncle remained with the mainstream. Since then much water has flown under the Howrah Bridge and the New Hoogly Bridge known as Vidyasagar Setu. CPM is now mainstream for sometime and CPI is the sidekick. If I still have any political affiliation left in me for an organised political party [which is residual and inconsequntial] it is still with CPM. But recent incidents have made me think once again. I say once again because I had once before done the rethinking long and hard after coming to Delhi as a young student and seeing what CPM meant in Delhi compared with what I had seen in Calcutta, had decided it was not my cup of tea to be actively invloved with or to make any sacrifices. I refer to the sordid and tragic affairs at Singur. Last few weeks newspapers in delhi and mumbai are relplete with pictures of Mamata Banerji steadfasty sticking to her fast like only an Indian woman or a true Gandhian can do and many a national leader of respectable and dubious credentials wishpering sweet nothingness into her ears. My problem is simple: My icons going majorly wrong or not explaining to the constituents transparently and truthfully what is happening. On the one hand are my still loved CPM, whom I would like to see in power but not act like a typical "state" and on the other is my much loved corporate and a household name in India the Tata Group whom I would like to lead the great India Inc. success story but somehow can not identify as a ruthless corporate. Of course, there is a third and perhaps the most important dimension: the people of Singur whose lands are being "confiscated" Frankly, I have no love lost for those politicians and local leaders who are making hay while the sun shines or as bengalis would put it "jhorey bok marchey" on both sides of the debate. But I have a few silly questions to the Tatas as well as the CPM run West Bengal government. 1. Why should the government acquire land for a private company? Public good like building a connecting road, a bridge, school etc is understandable, but to build factory? For generating employment, you would say. A good point, but have any guarantees been given for that, especially employing displaced people? 2. Do you really need 1,000 acres of land for a 1 Lakh car? I dunno, please tell me 3. Do you need two/three crop fertile land to build cars? Pune and Jamshedpur were built in the middle of nowhere when they were built, has the logic changed for the Tatas now? 4. Who have been compensated for the acquired land? The people who live off it or people who live off the land's rentier interest? Have the compensated monies gone to small account holders in the local branch of PSU banks or to absentee landlords' MNC bank accounts in Calcutta? 5. What about north Bengal? why not a greenfield project there? It is well connected with north India by the Railways and also by roads, Siliguri is on the national highway 34 and 31 if I am not mistaken and the CPM has been talking about its development for the last 10 years... Isnt it time to walk the talk? There are many questions which will remain unanswered... All of us are watching and this is the best opportuity to make it an ideal case study of what a sensitive government should do and what it should not do. Twist in the Tale? yes there is:) The peasants protesting today are the same empowered over the last 25 years by the same government. And, the Durgapur Expressway on which Singur is and which has actually shot up the land prices in Singur was also built by the current government to boost indsutrialisation of the stateLal Salam!

For a Penny Less

13 years back when I made my first passport I paid a fee of 100 Rupees, a bribe of 1500 rs at the passport office and a bakhshish of 300 rs to a policeman. As a result of which i was privileged to see my passport being "made" in front of me. A rare honour isnt it?I must say I got a huge return on the investment that I had made on my passport inlcuding a 6 year stay in England. That was bribe well spent:)After a three year lapse, I decided to renew my passport and keeping in mind the inflation, had set aside adequate amount to be spent under various heads. But this time the total cost has come down dramatically as has the time to get a passport. The break up is like this: Passport fee 1500 Rs, bribe at passport office, none, bakhshish to policeman, none. I actually spent less money 13 years later to get a new passport. Who says India is not developing?

Dog Poop and More Crap

My dog has been salivating for the last few days figuratively speaking. Dogs normally salivate a lot, but the change of behaviour in my dog has been stimulated by the fact that the pavements in front of my flat in Worli, Mumbai has just been expensively relaid by BMC. What has new pavements got to do with dogs salivating? Everthing, especially in Mumbai. My dog and all my neighbours' dogs in fact all the dogs of the society which has 14 buildings want to crap on the new pavement. On being asked they reply that such is the trend in the trendier part of the town such as Nariman Point. The Dogs in my locality just want to follow the latest trend.Things came to a pass some days backwhen my dog sat on his haunches and was just about to do it. I had to unceremoniously pull him up and explain the following to him:1. As conscious citzens and citydogs we should supplement the efforts of the government to keep the city clean.2. I do not have 500 bucks to give away as fine nor do I have Jonny Josheph's (Municipal Commissioner) mobile number to call him3. I am not famous enough to start a civil disobedience over dog poop and get mindshare4. I do not have access to newspaper space to run my campaign. Finally, I also mentioned to my dog that should he feels too strong about crapping on new pavements, he should walk down to Nariman Point and do it there, since there is someone who will encourage him to do so and support his cause.
My dog was more reasonable than I thought and actually gave up his right to crap on clean pavemments.

Wow, Wow